Pallets are flat transport structures that support goods in a stable fashion as the pallet is lifted by a jacking device such as a forklift, for example. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load that enhances handling and storage efficiencies. Goods or shipping containers are often placed on a pallet and secured with strapping, stretch wrap or shrink wrap and then subsequently shipped. While most pallets are made of wood, pallets may also be made from plastic and metal material.
In a warehouse environment, pallets are routinely stored on racks which permit the pallets to be stacked on top of one another in a column form. The racks are typically spaced apart from one another by a sufficient distance, so that stacked pallets on one rack can overhang the rack and still maintain a separation from stacked pallets that overhang an adjacent rack. For safety reasons, various insurance and/or legal regulations require a minimum separation between the stacked pallets on adjacent racks. For example, in the event of a fire in the warehouse, these minimum separation regulations may facilitate water coverage from overhead sprinkler systems between the stacked pallets. The minimum separation regulations may depend on the specific insurance and/or legal regulations.
Various conventional approaches have been proposed to provide a separation between the stacked pallets on adjacent racks, in order to comply with these insurance and/or legal regulations. FIG. 1 illustrates one such approach including a Z-stop bracket 110 to attempt to provide a separation 118 between a first pallet 113 positioned on a first rack 112 and a second pallet 115 positioned on a second rack 114. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the Z-stop bracket 110 is attached to the first rack 112 using an attachment means 116, such as bolts, for example. The first pallet 113 overhangs the first rack 112 and engages the Z-stop bracket 110 in an effort to maintain the separation 118. An additional Z-stop bracket (not shown) may be attached to the second rack 114 in a similar manner as the Z-stop bracket 110 attached to the first rack 112, to engage the second pallet 115 and maintain the separation 118.